Multi-media systems have been recently made available in which multiple media programs, such as video and radio, can run simultaneously so that a user can watch a video while at the same time listen to a radio program or so that one user can watch a video while another user can watch a different video or listen to a radio program. Such systems are typically available on an airplane or in a home environment.
In an airplane environment, a passenger is limited in his/her media program selection to only those being offered in the airplane, which typically includes one preselected movie and one or two preselected audio, or radio, programs. The passenger listens to his/her selection by tuning to the appropriate channel associated with his/her media selector. There is no ability to select a program not already preselected or to control the operation of the selected program, other than the volume.
In a home environment, a user is only limited in his/her media program selection to his/her collection. In this instance a user is able to select any one of several media programs and can control each of them to his/her liking. However, each media program is typically controlled via a separate controller or manually. There is no common display for all the media programs available for selection.
In an automobile environment, due to limited space it has generally been the case that only one particular type of media can be played at a given time in a given vehicle. For example, only one movie may be played at a given time in a given vehicle, and such playback is to the exclusion of any other media sources such as, e.g., the radio. This is true for a variety of reasons. One such reason is that the movie playing device, e.g., DVD player, is typically coupled to the existing speaker system of the vehicle, thus allowing only one media source to be played back through the speakers at any given time. Another such reason is that it is difficult for a person to follow the play back of a particular audio media source when another audio media source is simultaneously being played back.
Accordingly, there is a need for a multimedia entertainment unit for a vehicle that allows for a plurality of passengers to each watch and/or listen to a different media while allowing independent control of each of the selected media.